England Premier League
Saturday 11th February 2023
Kick off at 12:30pm GMT
Venue: London Stadium
Match Preview:
It was only a couple of weeks ago that David Moyes was under pressure to keep his job at West Ham. However after victory over Everton and a hard fought draw away to Newcastle his P45 has been put back in the board room drawer - for now.
For the Hammers it’s not just about survival for this season but establishing themselves and moving up the table and recent form suggests that there has been improvement with only 1 defeat in their last 4. The Hammers come into this weekend in 16th place but with 19 points they could be in the bottom three by the end of the weekend. Indeed just four points separates 19th from 14th so there really is all to play for. At home so far with 50% of their games ending in defeat Moyes side have not been convincing enough but at least their recent win over Everton ended a 3 losing streak here.
Chelsea have brought in a lot of quality in the winter transfer window but are these worrying times for the Blues? Graham Potter’s side have failed to score in their last two games after 0-0 draws against Liverpool and Fulham. Though Chelsea are a full 20 points behind league leaders Arsenal that isn’t going to bother them this season, their real target will be a top four finish and the current gap is 10 points, however they have 5 teams in front of them.
Form is poor with 5 points won from their last 15 and just 9 from their last 30 and while the board have given assurances to Potter as every one who follows football knows if the results are not coming in the manager will be sacked. For the Blues last away win we would have to go back to October and they have won just 3 games from 11 and scored just 9 times. Even Leeds who would rank in 19th place based on away results only have scored two more. As it stands if Chelsea win here they would need Fulham to lose just to move into 8th place but it could kick start a winning run which they dearly need.
Team News:
West Ham: Alphonse Areola has a hamstring injury although it isn’t thought to be serious and he could be involved at the weekend and will be assessed. Thilo Kehrer will be assessed for a slight knock. Gianluca Scamacca (knee) and Kurt Zouma (hip) remain out. Maxwell Cornet is sidelined with a calf injury.
Chelsea: Wesley Fofana is back in training but looks set to miss this game with a lack of match fitness. Mateo Kovacic is sidelined with a calf injury, N’Golo Kante is about 10 days away from a return as is Dennis Zakaria due to his thigh. Christian Pulisic won’t return for another 3 weeks at least and Edouard Mendy is still missing due to his on going hand injury.
West Ham vs Chelsea Head to Head:
Last season West Ham won this fixture 3-2.
Earlier in the season in the reverse fixture Chelsea won 2-1.
The last 4 meetings in a row have been settled by just one goal.
Chelsea have won 4 of the last five meetings.
West Ham vs Chelsea Prediction:
Chelsea have the better side but there have been a few encouraging signs from West Ham of late. They have shown grit and determination and currently they do not look like a side who will be relegated. A lot can still change but we know that on the pitch there is very little between these two sides.
Chelsea remains a danger though and they signed quality players to add to their talented squad and it means that even with some key players out manager Potter has nowhere to hide, but his side must gel quick and they need to start scoring goals. Without doubt picking a winner here is not easy but we are tempted with Chelsea’s price. The quality is there and the Hammers are not out of the woods yet, but Chelsea need to click and find their stride and if they can do so then the value on offer seems very generous, even allowing us to cover the draw on the refund.
West Ham vs Chelsea Betting Tips:
Asian handicap (0.0 Chelsea) at 1.64
Anytime goalscorer: Joao Felix at 3.75
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